One of the attorneys representing Atholton High School wheelchair athlete Tatyana McFadden said Friday that an agreement with state officials will allow the sophomore to compete in a mixed heat in the 1,600-meter race at the track and field state championships Saturday at Morgan State.
“We are delighted, not just for this opportunity for Tatyana,” said Luciene Parsely, a Maryland Disability Law Center attorney, “but because we believe this is the first time, around the country, that an athlete using a wheelchair will participate in a mixed heat in a track state championship race.”
The Maryland Department of Education and the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association agreed, after weeks of negotiation, to allow McFadden to race. Her time will not be applied against able-bodied athletes, but entered in a wheelchair division.
Last season, McFadden raced by herself in separate exhibition races and wasn?t allowed in the region or state meets. In April, she won the right in federal court to compete in mixed heats alongside other runners in Howard County. Officials argued her inclusion would fundamentally alter the competition and posed a safety threat to other runners. Both charges were shown to be unfounded.
The lawsuit, citing the U.S. American Disabilities Act, said Howard County was, in essence, treating Tatyana as a separate class of student by requiring her to race alone and therefore not equally.
On April 17, U.S. District Judge Andre Davis agreed. He granted an injunction requiring the county to include her in heats with other student athletes.
The MPSSA had scheduled a single 400-meter wheelchair exhibition this weekend, but likely would have faced a similar suit if they had not reached an agreement allowing the 17-year-old in other events.
“Howard County did an excellent job once they got on board and the coaches are very supportive,” said Deborah McFadden, Tatyana?s mom. “But we?re still talking to the state about next year ? nothing is written in stone.”
Her daughter McFadden said she “is getting tired of fighting.”
MPSSAA Executive Director Ned Sparks said his focus is on “the 2,500 kids participating in track and field, the outstanding athletes at schools like Eleanor Roosevelt and Broadneck, and all the youngsters competing in championships, including baseball and softball across the state.”
“Our sense is that other student-athletes are already expressing an interest in competing,” Parsely said. “That?s why we actually took this case ? we wanted to help Tatyana ? but this is a systemic problem. We need to open up inclusive, educational opportunities in sports for kids with disabilities.”
